Cat and Mouse
by Embers n flames
Summary: Tom happens to save a cat that happens to be a young girl, as people push her away, Tom tries to get closer to her. Will she let him? will she love him?
1. Chapter 1

Tom riddle sat in bed staring out a window, he hated the orphanage, it was dull and sad there. As he looked outside into the dark storm clouds that poured rain down onto the earth he thought for a moment, that he heard something. He shook his head, nothing would be stupid enough to be outside in that weather. But then he heard it again, a frightened struggled mew. He heard it once more, and for some reason he couldn't help but feel sorry for that poor creature, Tom got out of bed hopping that he wouldn't wake anyone, and went outside in the wet rain , suddenly lightning flashed, and thunder exploded around him, he looked around to find the source of the struggled mewing, by now he recognized it as a kitted. He took one more look before spotting a small creature huddled against the side of the orphanage. Tom looked at it, and for a moment he felt compassion. That poor creature sitting there in the pouring rain, all by itself, reminded him of someone. And he couldn't ignore it. The dejected kitten reminded him of himself.

An eleven year old Tom riddle reentered the orphanage carrying a small wet bundle in his soaking arms. He walked into his room still noticing that no one had awakened. He took an piece of clothing and began to dry the poor creature with it, before changing his cloths into a dry pair, and he couldn't help but notice that the kitten turned away, refusing to look in his direction as he changed. it struck him as odd, but didn't bother him.

After he had changed he lay on his bed, just looking at the wide eyed tabby kitten that looked at him. He did not know why, but it felt as if he was with another person. It wasn't like normal though, he didn't feel the need to shy away, he wanted to know the cat, he wanted. . . . A friend.

That morning tom awoke with something warm cuddled up to him, but it was rather large to be the kitten he had found that night. To his surprise, when he turned around, he saw a young girl, with scraggly brown hair spread around her olive toned skin she wore nothing but a small white sleeping gown that was obviously too big for her as it fell far below her feet. As he watched her she lifted her head, reveling saddened dark brown eyes, if Tom hadn't been so observant he would have thought they were black.

The girl yawned opening her mouth, wide. She stretched in a very catlike way before staring at tom. "who are you?" she asked.

"I am tom" he replied. He looked her in awe. "Who are you?"

She looked at him wide eyed. "I-I don't know. . . . Do you know?" she asked.

"No". said tom. "do you have a family?" he asked. The girl shook her head, "I remember mom saying that she didn't like me because of what I was, and daddy pushed me out the door, saying weird things."

"do you have a family?" she asked.

Tom shook his head, but before he could put his reply into words there was a knock on his door and an elderly woman came in.

She yelped in surprise. She had came to wake all the children, and when she opened toms door he was already awake, soaking wet cloths on his floor, and another person in his room. A girl! The elder woman rushed the girl out of toms room, and he could hear her sternly telling the girl not to go anywhere near him. Tom frowned. He wanted a friend, he wanted that girl to be that friend. But nobody else wanted him to have a friend. He sat down on his bed, he hadn't noticed, but in a fit of anger he had stood up. His eyes diverted downward to the floor, and sat thinking about that girl. She had been nice as far as he could tell sweet, she had a tragic past, even if it was recent. That didn't mean it wasn't tragic. Tom thought of his coming birthday. He would be starting his second year at Hogwarts soon. He briefly thought of the girl and wondered for a moment. Could she be a witch?


	2. Chapter 2

Tom riddle sat on the stone-like bed provided by the orphanage, a young kitten sat at on the floor nearby, playing with a dead mouse tied to a string that he held. "Your very cute as a cat." Tom commented.

The cat slowly changed back into a girl, her skin was paler than he had thought before, though her dark eyes still shone brightly. "Mum didn't think so..." She mumbled, turning to leave the room.

"Don't leave?" Pleaded Tom. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm not upset," She replied with a smile. "I've got to go brush my hair, and get dressed in those cloths before 'She' comes back and finds me here." the 'she' was said with bitterness. "You know she won't be happy to find me here with you, She'd probably scream – the two strange ones in cohorts!" The girl made an exaggerated fainting motion before leaving with a giggle.

"See you later Eliot..." Said Tom lightly, not feeling brave enough to say it out loud at that moment.

Eliot, as she had remembered that night one year ago, that was her name, walked back toward her own room, shared with two other girls, though she didn't like them much. The girls were Elizabeth and Jenny. Two rather ugly girls who thought that they were the most beautiful things in the world. Elizabeth had a large mole, right above her her left eyebrow, and no matter how hard she tried to cover it, it was always visible, and ugly enough to match her personality.

Jenny was just as bad, and though she was prettier than Elizabeth, the way she acted turned her into a pig. Of course, Elizabeth and Jenny believed the pig to be Eliot, and they rubbed it in her face often enough. Indeed, as she walked into her room, Elizabeth and Jenny looked away from one of there books, pornographic in nature, as Eliot had found through her well known curiosity, they began to make snorting noise.

"Look at the little piggy, Jen!"Called Elizabeth,

"What an ugly duckling..." Said jenny, followed by giggling, before they moved back to their book.

Eliot sighed, and tugged off her dirty clothes, she was going back to Hogwarts this year. She smiled. Another year away from the piglets, and another year getting to know Tom.

Tom was her favorite person to be around, and although people told her to avoid him, she couldn't help but want to be near him. People all thought Tom was evil, though he wasn't. He had been neglected, just as she had. They understood each other, and it was always good to be understood, especially when you were strange to the world that you lived in.

(Okay felluhs sorry it's so short I'll have the next one out in no time!)


	3. Chapter 3

Many thanks to my readers who favorited this story or added it to their alert lists! That would be..Miss Luny, Lozzien Lavender, TropicalGarden, and Kesperlis! (And probably more since I've looked) Thank you so much!

Tom walked down the dark, dank corridor of the dungeons, wondering about Eliot: How she was, what she was wearing, who she was with. Anything that had to do with _her_, it was her second year here, his third, and it was so difficult now that she was here. He longed to abandon his ideals, and go talk to her, but what would the people, knowing him to be anti-mud blood say? "_They would no longer follow my command..._" thought Tom, _"They would no longer think of me as the great ruler I shall become"_ And so, he shook his thoughts of Eliot away, stopped his pacing, went back to his common-room and planned the next meeting with his new club of followers..._The Death Eaters._

Eliot paced the floor of her dormitory, the other girls were sleeping, but she couldn't. Not with thoughts of Tom addling her brain: Where was he, who was he with, what was he doing. She longed to know the answers to this question. She ran her fingers through her mousy brown hair and sighed. She thought briefly of asking Hagrid what to do, but then again, no. Hagrid would only think of her as crazy if he knew how she felt about Tom. And so, She sat down in the middle of the floor and began to ponder if she had any powers of divination, perhaps then she could see what Tom was up to. But alas, Divination, was a third year class, and this being her first year, she would have to wait much too long.

The next day, both parties went into the great hall for breakfast, though sitting at their allotted tables, neither could speak to the other. This was the day that schedules were handed out. Both Eliot and Tom were eager to see if they had any classes together, though Tom would never admit it.

Eliot sighed, staring across to the Slitheren table. Tom was there of course, hair neatly combed, dark eyes staring back across at Eliot, whose hair was not near as neat, tumbling over her shoulder in a somewhat frizzy state. One of the boys on either side of tom spoke something harshly and his thoughtful stare soon turned hateful. She thought she heard something like a foul word escape his lips. She looked at her feet until the schedules were passed out.

"Miss McKinley" Stated a squat elderly man, with gold rimmed spectacles falling off of his bulbous nose. "Your schedule." He handed her a piece of parchment. She had double potions this morning with the Slitherens.

"Great." She thought. "More time together, yet away from one another." Meanwhile, the same thoughts ran through the head of young Tom.

That morning, Eliot rushed through the halls to the dungeons trying to find her way to the potions classroom. She wasn't looking where she was going, but systematically taking turns until, she thought, she might find the right hall. This of course, had its consequences, and as things ran their course, Eliot ran into somebody. Literally.

"Oooouch." Cried Eliot, Not having to bend over to pick up her books, due to the fact that she was on the floor already.

"Oh."Said somebody in a gruff voice. "Sorry 'bout that.. didn't' notice yuh there."

Eliot looked up, There stood a giant. Or, at least, somebody whom she thought was very tall. "It's not a problem." Said Eliot politely. "I'm rather prone to accidents." She laughed out loud and so did the large boy in front of her. He offered her his hand and she gracefully accepted it. "Thank you." She said, still chuckling.

"The name's Hagrid." Said, well, Hagrid.

"Er, yes." Said Eliot. "I've seen you before in the common-room. I'm Eliot, and it's very nice to meet you Hagrid."

"Ayuh." Said Hagrid. "A pleasure." He noticed her looking around somewhat absently. "Are yuh lost?"

"Er..." Mumbled Eliot. "Actually, yes." Hagrid and Eliot walked to potions class together chatting about nonsense things and laughing. Though when she walked through the door, there was Tom, with a hateful air about him.


	4. Chapter 4

It took all of Toms self control not to stand up and slap her across the face. She'd betrayed him. There she was standing with that giant fool! Would she throw away his friendship like that? Anger contorted his face as he stared at the two. But he turned back to face the professor.

Elliot looked at tom, a state of shock evident on her face. He had looked so upset with her... And as far as she knew. She hadn't done anything wrong. She'd only just made a new friend, and she had been happy about it. Yes, she'd heard of Tom's reputation as a bad person, somebody who persecuted what he apparently liked to call "mudbloods" Which, of course she was one of. And she'd never actually seen it. But that look, had told her... Maybe it was true.

She couldn't focus in class. Her potions turned out all wrong, and even though Hagrid kept telling her it was OK, that his potions were much worse than hers, she stayed dazed throughout the rest of the class period.

As she left the classroom, somebody grabbed her by the arm. She turned fiercely to slap whoever it was. She wasn't in the mood for confrontations with anybody. It was tom. And a bright red mark now lay across his face. "I-I'm sorry" She managed to stammer out "I didn't know it was you... I mean..." .

He shushed her "Quiet girl." His farce twisted into it's angry proportions "How could you?" He snarled. "How could you walk so innocently with...with, a..." He shook his head...

"I treasure our friendship, Tom..." Said Eliot. She'd been planning on what to say after thinking on Toms reputation. "But...You must hate me..." it was her turn to do the head shaking now. "I mean... I'm not a pure-blood...And...All of your other friends are..."

Tom looked at her in shock. He'd never thought anything of her blood, simply because, like she'd said, she treasured their friendship. He looked around cautiously before speaking. "Eliot...I...I'm..." he stumbled on his words, but managed to force it out. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have thought anything of it...You may have your other friends. But! I am priority." He winked at her and let a small smile slide across his lips.

Eliot, also cautiously peering at her surroundings, Jumped on Tom, giving him one of the most heartfelt hugs of her life. "Thank you Tom." She whispered in his ears before letting go and turning to rush off to her class, lest she be late due to her conversation, with what she now realized, was not only her first friend, but her best friend.

It was summer vacation, three years later. Tom and Eliot were still good friends. Even after several quarrels. And Eliot had learned of his parentage. " I hate the man.." He said fiercely "I hate him with a passion unlike any other!" Eliot had put her hand on his shoulder, hoping to calm him, but he swiped it away, nearly turning to slap her for touching him before he remembered just who he was with.

"I'm sorry Eliot." He replied. "I shouldn't take my anger out on you..." Eliot sight and looked at him.

"Tom. I'm your friend. I'm supposed to listen to you when you're like this. And I'm supposed to help." She had a fierce look in her eyes, as she shared toms anger. She had felt just as badly for his poor mother as he felt angry at his father. "We both know he shouldn't have done what he did." She sighed. "But we should get on with our lives. Live to the fullest despite our pasts!"

Tom turned to shout at her, but his lips stayed in a thin line. He would not scream at his best friend for her point of view. If that was how she dealt the ghosts of her past, then so be it. But _he_ would do it differently.

Eliot thought back to that day. And shivered at what she thought Tom might be doing to tell her so fiercely to stay away from him this night. She had to know. She uncurled herself and got off her bed. Wondered how she could do this without his detection...But of course! She could turn into a cat at will. Cat's were of course very silent creatures when hunting, and, she thought grimly, this was a sort of hunting.

She changed out of her clothing, and, standing naked in a room full of other girls she suddenly felt self conscious. She should have checked to see if they were sleeping first, but oh well. She checked to make sure each of the girls were sleeping before she transformed.


End file.
